The First Day of School
by EdwardTheFullmetalMidget
Summary: Sans can't wait to start his first day of kindergarden! But he has one big issue, and Gaster isn't sure starting school is a very good idea...
1. Chapter 1: Prelude

Gaster sighed a nervous sigh. He stood from his work bench and stretched. Being a skeleton, he had no muscles in particular to stretch, but he found that the gesture worked wonders for the stiff cartilage that came with age. He gave his blueprints a final once-over before rolling up the blue parchment carefully. "That's enough for one night…" He had been designing a new part of the core, the source of energy for the Underground. This particular component would allow the parts to become interchangeable; putting more convenience on the workers should a part malfunction. However this invention could not be further from the forefront of the skeleton's mind. Tomorrow was the day his first-born, Sans, went to his first day of school. He let go of a shaky breath we was unaware that he was holding. Ordinarily, any father, especially one who happens to be a scientist, would be ecstatic for their child to begin their educational journey through the school system. In a way, he was, after all, education was extremely important to a young monster's future. Except….. well, his son was a special case. A certain attribute that made his father very nervous. Sans has only one HP. Now, this was normal for infant monsters, and typically, as a monster grew, their HP would steadily increase with age. Not Sans though. Despite being six years old his HP remained at a fragile one. He had been taken to the best pediatricians in the Underground, but no one could seem to figure out the cause of this. The usual response was, "Not to worry, Dr. Gaster, he's just a late bloomer. Come next year he'll catch up with the others." He never did though, and year after year went by with no increase in HP. Gaster had many theories as to why this was, perhaps a genetic anomaly or a cold caught in early infancy, but that was all they were, theories. The thought of sending his fragile son to school frightened him. He was aware of what could happen during recess time, a schoolyard fight. Fights were normal among elementary school monsters, usually over who broke the crayons or something along those lines. They were rarely serious, and the loser usually got off with a few HP missing and some bruises, nothing serious. But things were different with Sans. A fight that may leave one child with a bruise would be lethal to his son. The thought of losing his precious son sent a chill down his spine. He had insisted that Sans be homeschooled, but the six-year old wouldn't hear it. He wanted to make friends and learn like the other kids, and Gaster didn't blame him. School was a wonderful experience (for the most part) and he hated for his son to miss out.

Suddenly crying coming from the room down the hall interrupted his thoughts. Gaster smiled a bit to himself and stood up, trotting down the dimly lit hallway toward the source of the crying. He opened the door quietly and made his way into Papyrus's nursery. With a soft click he opened the crib and scooped up the crying infant, rocking him gently. Upon seeing his father Papyrus cooed happily and closed his eyes, falling asleep once more. At least he didn't have to worry about Papyrus' school life for a least a few more years. He brushed a small tear from the infant's cheek bone with a bony thumb and smiled. He looked so much like his mother… He heard the nursery door click open and he glanced over his shoulder to see a groggy Sans. The six year old stumbled sleepily over to his father and smiled. "…did papy have a bad dream…?" he asked. Gaster shrugged. "Perhaps, but I think he should be fine now that his big brother is here to comfort him." Sans flashed a toothy smile and looked at the now sleeping infant in his father's arms. "i think you're right! and i'm always gonna be there to protect him to! do ya hear that brother? you don't need to have any more bad dreams!" Papyrus smiled in his sleep, almost as if acknowledging his big brother's statement.

Gaster chuckled, "Well Sans I think he's in good hands. Oh, by the way, have you packed your backpack for tomorrow, you have a big day ahead of you." The thought of school made the six year old light up. "yeah! and i packed it all by myself like a big monster!" Sending Sans to school was against Gaster's better judgement, but he had a system worked out. His teacher, Mrs. Drake, had been long time friends with his wife before she passed away, and had often baby-sat for Sans when he and his wife would go on their monthly date-night. Gaster remembered those dates fondly. It was important to take a break every once in awhile and just spend time with the love of his life. He had it worked out that Mrs. Drake would keep an eye on Sans during recess, to ensure his son's safety. Sans would be in safe…wings? She was a Snowdrake after all. Coming out of his thoughts, Gaster set his second-born back into the crib and led Sans back to his own room, nearly tripping over a pile of toys in the process. "Sans, you really should get your room picked up!" The six year old giggled. "i'll do it tomorrow!" Gaster huffed. That was what Sans said every night. He also noted it was always the same toy racecar he tripped on every night. He grinned in amusement and tucked his son in, pulling the light blue sheets over his yawning child. Good night Sans." "g'night dad!" Sans slept soundly that night. He snuggled into his covers and sighed, dreaming of tomorrow, the day he would make lots of friends and learn a ton, just like his dad! He smiled to himself and drifted off into a deep and peaceful sleep.

-The Next Morning-

"dad! cmon dad wake up it time for school!" Sans jumped up and down on his father's mattress, creating a ripple of alertness with each bounce. Gaster groaned and looked at his alarm. "…3:45….he let me sleep in this morning…." He sat up begrudgingly as the little monster continued to jostle the bed, wiping the sleep from his eyes and stretching. "Sans, school does not start for another four hours." He groaned. Sans grinned. "i know! but like you've always said it best to be over prepared than under prepared!" Gaster chuckled. His own fatherly logic was being used against him. "Heh, alright son, I'm up." He stood and stretched, scooping up the mischievous six year old and carried him to the kitchen. He took down a box of Temmie Flakes from the cabinet and poured them into a bowl. This particular cereal had almost zero nutritional value, but it was Sans's favorite, and today was a special day after all. Sans grinned and ate quickly, scooping up the sugary cereal into his mouth as fast as he could. "Sans, remember your manners!" He chided. The little skeleton slowed down and apologized with a mouth still full of cereal. "mmph, sorry dad!"

Gaster watched with a mixture of anxiety and pride as his son ascended the stairs into the elementary school building. His son seemed so small compared to the gigantic steps it almost made him want to scoop him back up and take him back home. He resisted this urge though, and waved to Sans, who was skipping up the steps. His son waved back and grinned before disappearing inside. The door closed with a click and Gaster sighed nervously. Sans would be alright, he worried too much.


	2. Chapter 2: Welcome to Kindergarten!

A/N: Heya! So this got waaaaay more views and favorites than I expected! I added, get this, PARAGRAPHS! Heheheh, sorry about the last chapter, and thank you for all the compliments and constructive criticism, (as you can see I pay attention lol) Sorry guys, but I gotta introduce some conflict in this chapter, but the next one will have some fluff I promise! Oh, by the way, I thought I'd add that my inspiration for the kindergarten comes from my experience as an assistant to a pre-school teacher, and it was a ton of fun recreating the atmosphere in my writing!

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Sans skipped down the hallway, his blue backpack bouncing on his happy rhythm. He hummed a little tune to himself as he looked around the building. There were colorful posters hung up as far as the eye could see, and every classroom seemed to have something new inside of it. He looked at the paper his father had given him which told him where to line up for class. "let's see… room 207…" His father had taught him to read at a very early age, and it was one of his favorite things to do, however he still enjoyed when his father would read to him. His favorite book was a joke book, and he had been practicing his puns all month in anticipation for having a chance to use them here at school. "hmm…I think there was a chapter just for chemistry jokes… heh, dad really likes those!" He thought to himself, however he was so busy thinking about all the different puns he could use, he did not notice the small yellow monster in his path until he had crashed into her.

She fell with an "Oof!" and her glasses skidded on the floor. "oh geez! i'm sorry!" Sans exclaimed, holding out a hand to help the little monster up. She smiled tentatively and took his hand, standing up and brushing herself off. "Th-that's okay! Would you m-mind getting my glasses though? I –I can't see very well without them." Sans nodded and stooped down, picking up the pair of fallen spectacles and brushing them off with his jacket. She took them gratefully and put them on, adjusting them for a moment before looking to her new acquaintance. She was a dinosaur-looking monster, Sans noted, and she wore a pair of slightly-oversized glasses. He glanced at her backpack. It had a picture of a human girl with cat ears and really, really big eyes. Sans smiled, it was kinda cute. A small white dress completed the outfit, and Sans noticed it had an uncanny resemblance to the lab coats his father wore. "sorry about that! i didn't dina-SEE you there!" This earned a small chuckle from the yellow monster and she stuck out her hand. "Haha! N-nice to m-meet you! My name's Alphys!" The little skeleton grinned and shook her hand. "nice ta meet ya alphys! My name's sans!"

The two monsters walked to room 207 together. It turned out his new friend was also in the same class as he was! Sans smiled to himself at his luck. "i can't believe i've already made a friend and class hasn't even started!" he thought as he took a seat at his new desk. He looked up to the teacher's desk and saw Mrs. Drake organizing papers. "hi'ya mrs. drake!" The snowdrake looked up and smiled warmly. "Well hello Sans! It is so good to see you!" She gave him a friendly nod before turning to the rest of the class. Alphys was seated about two seats away from Sans and sat in anticipation for class to begin.

"Welcome everyone! It is so nice to see all of your smiling faces! I can hardly wait to get to know each and every one of you as we spend this year learning and having fun! Now, to begin class, I would like everyone to please stand up and place your backpacks in the cubbies in the back of the room. You'll find that they each have your names written on them, so please put your backpack into your own cubby so there isn't any confusion as to whose is whose!" The skeleton jumped out of his chair and hurried over to the cubbies. His father had read all sorts of stories about school, and cubbies were just like lockers for kindergarteners! Plus, lockers meant a place to keep his joke book when he wasn't using it. He looked around the rows of wooden cubbies until he found the one with his name labeled on it. He looked closer at his nametag and saw a small sticker next to his neatly printed name. It was a small bear monster. Upon closer inspection he saw that the parts where the bear had fur was fuzzy. His face lit up. What further wonders awaited him at school!?

He placed his backpack inside the cubby (rather jauntily) and turned to return to his seat. He did not get very far before he bumped into a rather large and tough-looking Astigmatism. "gee I'm kinda clumsy today…" He thought. "Sorry!" the Astigmatism glanced at the little skeleton, a small, sinister smile spread across his face. "Hmph, whatever. I haven't seen you around before, and I know EVERYONE. You must be new, so I'll fill ya in. Nobody messes with me, you understand? Long as you stay out of my way, we'll get along JUST fine." To emphasize his point he narrowed his eye menacingly. The small skeleton felt himself wince under the intense gaze. "hehe…not to worry, i'll keep an EYE out for ya!" he joked, trying to lighten up the situation. Puns always worked when his father was upset, and the tactic seemed to work well in making friends, so… But before he could finish his thought the monster brushed past him. Feeling a little disconcerted, Sans returned to his seat. "maybe he's just hungry or somethin'. i'm sure we'll get to be good friends." He let his gaze fall to Alphys, who was just taking her seat. He grinned. "yeah, i'm sure he's just hungry."

"Alright class! Can anyone tell me what the first letter of the alphabet is?" Alphys's hand shot up first. This was a repeating pattern, Mrs. Drake noted. She felt herself chuckle, it seemed she had quite the genius on her wings. But it was time someone else had a turn. She looked around the room. The only other monster who had their hands raised was none other than little Sans! She smiled, "Sans, would you like to answer?" "yes mrs. drake! the first letter of the alphabet is A!" Mrs. Dake clapped her wings together, and the little skeleton felt his chest fill with pride. "Very good Sans! Could you please come up to the board and write the letter "A" for us?" Sans nodded and skipped up to the board. He took the chalk and began to write. The chalk disintegrated slightly as he made the different strokes, and a little fell in his nasal cavity. He fought the urge to sneeze and giggled, it tickled! He finished and turned to face the class, but instead of the usual smiling faces of the students, he was met with confused looks. "umm…ta…da…?" was something wrong? They were looking at him like he was a human or something!

Mrs. Drake spoke up. She had immediately recognized the misunderstanding. "Um, Sans dearie… That isn't the letter A I was looking for." Sans looked at the board. It seemed right to him. A picture of a hand doing a peace sign. That was the letter A, wasn't it? It was how his father wrote it in his research journals… A voice spoke up from the class"*Cough *Cough bone head *Cough." Sans felt his cheeks grow hot. "th-this isn't how you write A…?" "No sweetie, I understand though, this is the way you father writes, but… your father doesn't use the letters we use here at school.

Mrs. Drake narrowed her eyes and looked to the class. "Astigmatism, I heard that. Please stand up and write your name on the board. You have a warning." The class "oohed" as Astigmatism stood grumpily and walked to the front of the class. Naughty students wrote their names on the board after the first offense. After the second they would get a check by their name. If they got three checks, they would have to stay inside for recess. Astigmatism grabbed the chalk out of the skeleton's hands and muttered, "You'll pay for this, bonehead." Sans shuddered and went back to his seat. After Astigmatism returned from the board, Mrs. Drake spoke up. "I will not tolerate teasing of any kind, does everyone understand?" "Yes Mrs. Drake." The class answered in unison.

The snowdrake's happy-go-lucky smile returned and she began to teach once more, showing the class the proper way to write the letter A. Sans looked nervously at Astigmatism, but tried to ignore that sinking feeling in his ribcage as he learned the right way to write the alphabet.


	3. Chapter 3: Lunchtime in Room 207

A/N: Hey everyone! Sorry this chapter came a little later than I was hoping. I try to update at least every two or three days, give or take depending on how much work I've gotta do. As promised, I tried to introduce some more fluff in this chapter, so yaaay! Stay tuned for the next chapter, and keep those reviews coming, I love reading them!

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Sans concentrated hard on the letters on the board. He had no idea there were two ways to write the alphabet, all the books he had read had belonged to his dad when he was little, and they were all in the familiar alphabet. " _i guess i've gotta relearn this…"_ He was slightly disappointed he would have to start learning from scratch, but hey, at least he was learning! " _dad's gonna be super proud of what i learned today! i'll bet he'll even let me eat grillby's for dinner!"_ Grillby's was the only, (and therefore most popular) restaurant in Snowdin. All the cool kids went there to eat and hang out, and do big kid stuff like play go-fish and drink apple juice. Sans felt his mouth water as he thought of the tantalizing aroma of burgers and fries that always permeated his favorite restaurant. His dad was a stickler when it came to grease, so only on rare occasions would they go out to eat. …Speaking of food, Sans looked up at the clock in the corner of the colorful room. The minute hand was nearly on the six. " _it's kinda close to the number six…what does that mean again…? oh, right! thirty minutes! and the small hand is on the eleven so…that means it's eleven-thirty! lunch time!"_ The bell rang just as the smallest and skinniest hand hit the twelve.

Mrs. Drake smiled, "Oh? Lunchtime already? My, my, this day has gone by so fast! Everyone, please go get your lunches from the cubbies so we can start to eat!" She watched happily as each of her new pupils got out of their seats and traveled to the back of the room. Within moments the room was filled with the rather obnoxious sound of zipping zippers as the students opened their bags to retrieve their lunches. Ordinarily, the sound of twenty backpacks unzipping at once would drive anyone insane, but she had grown used to it, even taking a particular liking to the sounds of the zips and zops of tiny backpacks. Come to think of it, the only other person who could stand the sound was Lucida… The snowdrake's smile faltered slightly as she thought of her late coworker. " _She certainly was something…Always kept me on the right track…_ " She missed her friend dearly, even if it had been a few years since her passing. Lucida had shown her around her first day of being a teacher. She had the classroom next to hers, and they would always eat lunch together and gossip about what had conspired in the teacher's lounge the previous day. They had been the very best of friends since elementary school…

Her thoughts were interrupted by a small voice. "Mrs. Drake? Are you crying?" She blinked and jolted back to attention, hurriedly wiping the drop of moisture that had snuck past her emotional barrier when she wasn't looking. "Oh no child, I'm fine!" The little Wimsun looked at her questioningly. "A-are you sure?" She smiled and knelt down, giving the little monster an affectionate pat on the head. "Yes I'm sure," she said warmly, "now why don't you go sit down and eat with your friends? It looks like they are getting a little impatient." She chuckled as she watched a Froggit wave over the monster with growing restlessness. Wimsun gave her one final look before grinning and skipping back to his friends. Mrs. Drake felt her smile return. This was why she was a teacher. On even her bad days, the children would always cheer her up. They were so innocent, so kind, and so concerned for her own well-being she nearly felt another tear slip past. She denied it exit, and scanned the room for Sans. It seemed he had found a place to sit near little Alphys. Her smile broadened. _"And I will honor her memory by keeping her son safe, whom she loved so much."_

Sans plopped himself down into the chair next to his new friend. "mind if i sit here alphys?" The yellow monster smiled shyly. "N-not at all!" The skeleton flashed a toothy grin and opened up the brown paper bag that held his afternoon meal. He peered inside and gasped in delight. Within the bag there was a bottle of ketchup, a thermos of spaghetti, and a little note written on a thin green post-it-note. Emptying the contents excitedly, Sans examined the note. Alphys looked up from her bowl of instant ramen and cocked her head. "W-what does that say?" Sans was taken by surprise for a split second. Alphys was the smartest kid in the class, so she should be able to read the…oh right, this was his father's way of writing. "let's see…"

 _Dear Sans,_

 _I hope you are having a wonderful first day of school! I hope you know how proud I am of you, and so is Papyrus! I included some ketchup in your lunch for the occasion (But just for today, don't get too used to it, you know how I feel about it's sugar content!) Whoops, looks like I'm running out of room, so I'll have to cut this short. I love you very much son!_

 _Love,_

 _Dad_

 _P.S. We are going to Grillby's tonight to celebrate!_

Sans lit up reading the note. It made him feel so good to know he was loved, and that his dad was proud of him! Plus, they were going to Grillby's tonight! That was the icing on the cake of a perfect day. Alphys grinned from ear to ear. "W-wow! Your dad sounds like a really nice guy!" The skeleton child nodded in agreement. "My dad's the best dad in the world!"

After lunch it was time for recess. The bell rang and nearly everyone jumped up at once and rushed the door like a herd of wildebeest. Of course, it was up to Mrs. Drake to herd the children in an orderly manner to the playground without letting the smaller monsters get trampled in the process. It wasn't an easy task, but she had quite a few years of experience under her belt, and with a few expertly placed instructions and a few directional flicks of her wing, the children made it safely to the blacktop. _"Note to self: Remember to reinforce the "Line Up" policy before recess."_

Sans shuffled past her and onto the blacktop, Alphys in tow. The snowdrake made a point to keep a careful watch over the little skeleton, as per his father's request.

Astigmatism sauntered over to his claimed spot by the drinking fountain and hunched his back, making himself look bigger to discourage anyone from challenging his spot near the water fountain. He scanned the playground carefully, looking for anyone who could be a possible threat. No one seemed to fit that description. _"Good, I'm on top. And it's gonna stay that way."_ Suddenly within his line of sight skipped that little skeleton from earlier, along with the nerd he had roughed up the previous day on the playground. She had taken the last swing, which was unacceptable because HE was entitled to the swings at all times. Dang she was a crybaby. He huffed and watched the skeleton as he played on the blacktop. That guy needed to learn his place. It was his fault he got in trouble, and letting him get away with that wasn't gonna happen. He looked over to Mrs. Drake. Dang, she wasn't taking her eyes off him. Why was that? Eh, he didn't care.

"Oi, Astigmatism." He growled, angry that his thoughts had been interrupted, and turnd to see who had addressed him. "Oh, Pyrope. What's up?" Pyrope was in the second grade, but still took his orders from Astigmatism. In the totem pole of bully-dom, it wasn't the oldest who was on top, it was the most ruthless, and Astigmatism definitely fit that description. Pyrope was his top lackey, but he wasn't the only one. About four other monster of varying potential for cruelty took their orders from him, and Astigmatism wouldn't have it any other way. "You're eyeing that pipsqueak skeleton. Something up?" Suddenly a plot began to form in Astigmatism's head. An awful, nasty, yet brilliant plot. "Yes actually. I need your help with something. Go get the others." Pyrope smirked. The boss was onto something big. "Right away."


	4. Chapter 4: An Incident

A/N: Heya! Again, I've gotta apologize, this chapter took longer than I thought! I'm so sorry, but the smol skell is gonna see some bullying, so if you are sensitive to that kind of stuff, (I understand completely,) this might be a good chapter to skip. Otherwise, enjoy, and keep those reviews coming! :D I got the inspiration for this chapter from a comic by octone-berri on Deviant art. Please check her out, she's AMAZING!

P.S. About the link, I cannot for the LIFE of me get it to work, and I don't think I can fix it, please go to the website Deviant art and type in the search engine: octone-berri You'll find her!

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Mrs. Drake was leaning against the wall of the school building. It was a beautiful day outside. The snow on the ground was fresh and the wind had a pleasant nip to it. The snow was crisp and white, perfect for a nice walk. Perhaps, she thought, it would be a good idea once the children were dismissed and grading finished, to take a stroll around the forest. Days like these didn't come often. She way as well take advantage of it. She smiled to herself as she planned the route she would take this time. _"Perhaps I'll take my husband along to, he certainly could use a break…_ "

"Mrs. Drake!" She immediately snapped out of her thoughts and looked down at the little Froggit who was desperately clutching at her dress. "You've gotta come quick!"

~~~~ Meanwhile ~~~~

Pyrope grinned as he janked on Whimsun's delicate wings. This was pretty fun. The little monster whimpered pathetically, begging him to stop between gasping sobs. This earned him a cold chuckle and a kick in the ribs. _"Feh, pathetic. This guy is sooo not worth getting in trouble for, but… well, I guess one detention's fine long as the boss is happy with me."_ He looked down and grinned at his handiwork. He had brought down 8 HP out of Whimsun's 15. The kindergartener was shaking rather impressively. He figured that ougta get the attention needed.

"PYROPE! STOP THIS NOW!" The sense of outrage and urgency on the teacher's voice let him know she meant business. _"Hmph. Right on time, old broad."_ He spat on the trembling monster as Mrs. Drake sprinted over, led by a Froggit who looked like it was going to burst into tears any second. _"Here comes the lecture… you'd better make this quick, boss."_

~~~~ A few minutes ago ~~~~

Astigmatism cleared this throat authoritatively. "Alright, pay attention you idiots, I'm only gonna say this once. Pyrope, you especially." This earned an attentive nod from his closest lackey. He motioned to the tiny skeleton, who was now sitting on the bench near the fence with the nerd from earlier. He looked happy. Way too happy. "See him? That guy got me in trouble and humiliated me in front of the entire class." He then pointed to Mrs. Drake, who was attentively keeping her eyes on his mark. "See her? I need to teach that little smart mouth a lesson in respect, but I've already got a warning, ya dig? For whatever reason she ain't taking her eyes off him, so Pyrope, you're gonna have some fun." The fiery monster grinned. He knew what that meant. "I need you to make sure her attention is somewhere else. You know what to do." The lackey nodded, "Turn up the heat, so to speak." "Exactly. As for the rest of you idiots, make sure things don't go south. Half of you will go with Pyrope. The rest, make sure the other kids don't see nothing. Last thing I need is some tattle tale." Astigmatism paused. He was forgetting something… "Oh, right. Ice cap, you distract the nerd so she doesn't go crying for help."

Sans listened intently to his new friend's knowledge of the human world. Obviously she knew what she was talking about. Man she was smart… kinda like his dad. "So, in my opinion, Mew Mew Kissy Cutie Two is complete poop. It doesn't even follow the animated series' character arch. Plus- Oh, hey Snowcap." Sans looked up and saw the hat-wearing monster. He grinned and waved, as did Alphys. Ice Cap gave a tiny smile. "Hey guys, what's up?" Alphys grinned, "Oh, nothing much, I'm just telling Sans about Mew Mew Kissy Cutie, you wanna hear?" He inwardly gagged, but kept his composure. "Heck yeah! But maybe later, I wanna show you something." Alphys's eyes lit up behind her over-sized spectacles. "Really? What is it?" The icy monster smirked. She took the bait. "Oh, I can't just TELL you what it is, I've gotta SHOW you!" Both Alphys and Sans's faces brightened with curiosity. "C'mon, I'll show ya." Alphys jumped off the bench and stood at attention. Sans tried to jump off as well, but was stopped before his pink slippers could touch the ground. "Actually, err… what's your name again?" The small skeleton smiled. "sans is the name, puns are my game!" Ice Cap raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything. "Well, er, Sans, you should wait here, I can only show people one at a time." The skeleton's face fell, and for a moment, just a moment, Ice Cap felt bad for having a part of what was about to unfold. The feeling passed, however, and he resumed his work. "Just wait here, I'll come back for ya in a sec." Gaster's first born nodded and plopped his bottom back on the bench, waiting excitedly as Ice Cap led Alphys away to whatever it was that was so exciting. _"gee, i wonder what it could be? i'll bet its something super cool!"_

After a few minutes Sans heard a commotion break out over to the left of the play structure. Curious, he began to get up, but then stopped, sitting back down. _"i wonder what's taking those two so long…?"_ He sighed, resting his cheekbone in his hand. He looked around the playground. The blacktop took up about half the space, and the field took up the rest. Most of the monsters there were playing soccer, and, he noted, the snow seemed to make kicking the ball large distances quite difficult. However it appeared to him the monster in possession of the ball seemed to have no difficulty, and was a good five meters ahead of the pack. He squinted. Upon closer inspection, a fish-like monster was the one ahead. She seemed quite tough, because whenever her foot made contact with the ball, it would go sailing, with or without the hindrance of snow. He thought a moment, trying to place where he had seen her before. It took a few moments, but he made the connection. He had seen her in the hall heading to the second-grade classroom. That was about all he knew. He made a mental note to say hi to her later. _"Maybe one Alphys comes back we can join in. It looks like they're having a BALL."_ He giggled at his mental joke, and continued to scan the playground. The commotion was still in full swing, but was blocked from view by the play structure. He continued to look around until his eyes settled on that monster from earlier. What was his name? Astigmatism right? He grinned, the monster was coming closer, and had a big smile on his face. _"he looks like he's in a good mood! i knew he just must've been hungry."_ He scooted over to make room for the approaching monster on the bench.

"hiya!" Sans waved happily at his new potential friend. The monster didn't wave back, but kept smiling. In fact, if he wasn't mistaken, Astigmatism smile was growing little by little with each step he took, closer and closer. Something wasn't right. Sans felt his soul shiver slightly, but he immediately corrected himself. He shouldn't be afraid! This monster was smiling, which obviously meant he had good intentions! …Right…?

Astigmatism stopped a few feet from the bench. His smile was grotesquely wide. "Heya, FRIEND. Remember this morning, I said to stay out of my way?" His voice was sickly sweet. Sans gulped. Perhaps the icy tendrils of fear that were beginning to wrap around his soul were warranted after all. He nodded slowly. "Oh, good, so you DO remember. Well, you've been doing a pretty terrible job of doing so, considering the fact my name is on the board, wouldn't you say?" A drop of cold sweat began forming on the skeleton's forehead. Astigmatism noticed, a malicious pride forming in his chest. So the pipsqueak was getting rattled. Good. "U-Um... EYE d-didn't mean to get you t-trouble…heh…" Sans felt his voice begin to quiver. This wasn't good, this wasn't good at all. He knew all too well what could happen if Astigmatism started a fight… He had to diffuse this situation, and fast. He looked desperately to where Mrs. Drake had been standing not minutes before, but she was gone. The bully noticed the eye movement and chuckled coldly. "Looking for your baby-sitter? She's a little preoccupied at the moment, so I guess it's just YOU and ME." Astigmatism's soul flashed and suddenly, both his and Astigmatism's soul were shining outside their bodies, their little white hearts sticking close to their respective owner's chests. Sans felt his breath catch. "oh no…"

He flinched, but the blow he was expecting was late. He cautiously opened an eye-socket… Astigmatism's jaw hung almost to the floor. His eye was fixed on the skeleton's HP bar. "…..one….? Seriously…..ONE!?" He burst into an unholy fit of laughter, rolling on the floor and holding his sides. "ONE HP!? HAHAHA! THAT'S SOOO PATHETIC HAHAHA!" Sans felt his cheeks grow hot. "i-i'm not pathetic! i'm just still growing is all!" Astigmatism was still doubled up in laughter. "DUDE! HOW OLD ARE YOU!?" "s-six!" "SIX!" This, for whatever reason, seemed to make whatever Astigmatism was laughing at even more hilarious. He was wheezing. The tiny skeleton's cheeks were on fire with embarrassment. "m-mom said its just a phase! i'm gonna get tougher, just you wait and see!" This, for some reason, sent his bully over the edge. "Your MOM? HAHAHAHA! When did she say that! I didn't know dust could talk!" That was a low blow. Tears began to prick at the inside of his eye-sockets and threatened to spill over. "d-don't talk about my mom that way!" His right eye felt funny, but he didn't know why. By this time, Astigmatism had regained control of himself and smirked. "Oh, I'll talk about your precious mommy all I want!" He noticed the blue ring beginning to form in his victim's eye. "Oh, did I make the baby mad? C'mere and take a swing, if you've got the guts. Oh wait, you don't have any, you're just a puny skeleton!" With a cruel laugh he summoned a flurry of white rings, which spread out to surround the tiny skeleton. Sans's soul trembled in a mix of rage and fear. He didn't want to fight. His dad had always told him violence led to more violence. Fighting was forbidden, and he knew it.

Suddenly, Alphys's voice rang out across the blacktop like the voice on an angel. "Saaaannnns!" She called in a sing-song voice, "C'mere, Ice Cap showed me something super cool!" Astigmatism cursed under his breath. The rings disappeared, and so did he, but not without whispering a warning to his trembling "friend". "Tell anyone, and that pathetic HP bar of yours goes from 1 to 0."


	5. Chapter 5: Undyne

As soon as Astigmatism disappeared behind the play-structure, Sans felt the stinging pricks of tears in his eye-sockets grow more and more intense. His vision grew watery, and for a moment, he thought, it seemed like he was looking at the world from the inside of a fish tank. However the tank soon cracked, and he felt a warm tear slide down his cheekbone. He had never felt fear like that before… He knew what would have happened if Alphys hadn't intervened, his father had made darn sure he knew what would happen. He felt another drop of moisture roll down his cheek. _"…why did he make fun of mom…?"_ He sniffed. It had been so long since he had seen her, and what few memories he retained were fuzzy, but he couldn't deny that every memory he had of her was a happy one. In each blurry remembrance there was an unmistakable warmth and peace. Her face had been long forgotten, and yet he knew she was beautiful beyond all compare. He remembered the feeling of her tender embrace and her delicate touch. But now… these memories seemed to be slipping father and father away into darkness, corrupted by visions of dust and pain and tears.

"Hey Saaans!" Alphys skipped up to her new boney friend and grinned. "You aren't gonna believe what IceCa- "Alphys froze, her clean white dress billowing in the chilly breeze. She cocked her head to one side, looking closely at the skeleton. Was he…crying…? _"Can skeletons cry? It seems like they lack the proper anatomy… I don't think they have tear ducts…do they…?"_ she wondered these things for only a moment, immediately berating herself. If he really WAS crying, why was she standing there pondering anatomy?! "Sans? A-Are you crying?" Deep down, she knew the answer. The electric blue drop of magic that slid down her new friend's cheek was no illusion. She lightly took a seat next to her new friend, concern prevalent on her face as the drops of blue magic continued to fall, sliding from his cheekbone and falling into his lap.

 _"oh no…"_ Sans felt his soul leap in panic as Astigmatism's last sentence echoed hauntingly in his skull. "u-um, no! i'm fine! i-i'm not crying!" He hurriedly swiped at the drops of magic with his sleeve and stood up straight, forcing a smile. _"i can't let_ _Alphys think i'm hurt… HE would find out and…"_ He shuddered slightly at what would happen if he ever told anyone what had just went down. Alphys frowned, looking him over searchingly with an inexperienced yet observant eye. "Are you sure? It looked like you were crying..." "nope! i'm fit as a fiddle!" This was met with a skeptical look from his new friend. _"i've gotta change the subject… fast."_ "now what was it you wanted to show me?"

Alphys sighed in defeat. Obviously he didn't want to talk about it, and maybe it was better not to push the subject. She hated to, but she decided to let it go. He would tell her in due time. She felt her smile return. Yeah, he'd tell her when he was ready, no use in pushing it. "W-well, Ice Cap showed me this super cool second grader named Undyne! You should see how far she can kick a soccer ball, its like she's a super hero! C'mon, I'll introduce you!"

Sans kept his smile fixed. His cheeks hurt with the effort it took to do something that usually came so natural to him. He said nothing, but nodded. He didn't trust his voice not to break. With each passing moment the gravity of what had almost happened weighed down on him more and more heavily. He let himself be led to the field, where that fish monster from earlier was playing. As they got closer, she lifted her head and gave a sharp-toothed grin. "Oh heya!" Sans gritted his teeth. He didn't want to meet anyone else. So far it seemed the only nice monsters here were Alphys and Mrs. Drake. He forced himself to meet her gaze, not wanting to be rude and get another monster angry. He almost jumped. Her eyes burned with intensity, and her fiery red hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail, which billowed out the flaming strands like a blowtorch. "Nice to meet ya, nerd!" _"nerd?"_ He pondered her words. She had called him a nerd, and yet… well, she didn't seem to mean anything malicious by it at all. Even her eyes, which were so intense, seemed to have a sense of kindness behind them. She extended a webbed hand, her toothy grin widening. The skeleton hesitated, still quite wary. "C'mon! Don't leave me hangin!" Sans nodded, gritting his teeth, and took her hand. The strength behind her shake was remarkable, and he knew that there was even more power she was capable of. He felt his fake grin begin to become more genuine. She actually seemed really cool. He looked over to Alphys and noticed her cheeks were more pink than usual…

It turned out, Undyne WAS really cool. She was really loud, but was really cool. The first thing she did was supplex a pretty large-sized boulder, followed by a very large weight which seemed to look suspiciously like the missing barbell from the high school weight room. Sans failed to see the reason behind the feat, but was still impressed anyway. However, he was not prepared for when he himself became the weight. He let out a surprised yelp was heaved above her shoulders, much to the enthusiasm of the small crowd of monsters which had gathered to watch. Pretty soon Alphys joined him in his aerial view of the playground. They hovered above the crowd for a few moments before the fish monster let out a hearty laugh and set them down. Soon she was lifting every monster in the crowd, two at a time. Sans couldn't help but chuckle to himself at the ridiculous feat, but he found his mood was lightened considerably. After the display was over and done, and the crowd dispersed, Undyne invited them over to sit on the bench and talk. Well, _invited_ wasn't exactly the correct word for it. More like, she insisted, then proceeded to drag the skeleton and dinosaur over to the nearest bench. "So!" She boomed, plopping the two perplexed yet enthralled monsters onto the bench beside her, "Alphys and Sans was it? Good to meetcha! It's always nice meeting new friends!" Alphys nodded enthusiastically. "Y-Yeah! It was great to meet you Undyne, wasn't it, Sans?" The skeleton nodded, his faith in monsters restoring. So far it seemed like Astigmatsm was just the bad monster out. He could avoid one monster no problem.

The rest of the school day was pretty uneventful. Upon returning to class, Sans returned to his seat, eager to begin class once more. Next was math, then history, then art. All too soon, the bell rang, dismissing the students from their first day of school. "Remember class!" Mrs. Drake called, "tomorrow we'll be finger-painting, so be sure to bring an old T-shirt you don't mind getting dirty!"

Mrs. Drake watched fondly as her new students filed out of the classroom. Today had been a good day. Well, except for the incident on the playground, but that had been handled. Pyrope had been punished appropriately, receiving a Saturday detention, and Whimsun had made a full recovery in the nurse's office. She smiled and hummed to herself as she straightened out the papers on her desk. There was something bothering her though, chewing away at the back of her mind. In the principal's office, Pyrope hardly seemed upset at all by his punishment. In fact, instead of complaining or groaning like most children did, he almost seemed smug. "I've done my job," was all he said before casually hopping out of the office. This seemed rather ominous, in her opinion, but the principal had shrugged it off when she had asked. She sighed, deciding not to think too hard about it. She loved kids, but sometimes they said the darndest things…

Sans grinned and strolled to the back of the room. He reached into his cubby and hoisted the straps around his shoulders, adjusting their length. He kept a wary eye-socket out for Astigmatism, but the monster had bolted out the door as soon as the bell rang, obviously in a hurry for something. Sans was mildly curious what was the cause of such a rush, but shrugged it off. Trotting across the threshold of the colorful classroom, he was joined by both Alphys and Undyne in the hall. "I can't wait to finger-paint tomorrow!" Alphys exclaimed, giving a little skip for emphasis. Undyne nodded. "Yeah! finger-painting's the bomb!" She punched the air and grinned her trademark sharp-toothed smile. "The second graders are gonna paint with brushes tomorrow, so that'll be awesome too!" Sans listened and nodded. He had never painted before, so this was going to be a new, and therefore super-fun experience. _"i can hardly wait to start! although i hope the paint doesn't get between my joints, its always so hard to clean there…"_ He wasn't bothered though, too excited by the prospect of trying something new. The newly formed trio stepped out the glass double doors of the school building. The bright winter sun assaulted their eyes and they all squinted, adjusting themselves to the brightness. "so, uh, you guys wanna hang out tomorrow?" The question presented was greeted with a chorus of "DUHs!" and "of course's," and Sans felt his soul lighten. Friends made: two for one. Not bad, not bad at all.

* * *

A/N: Hey! So uh, this is kinda a transition chapter, however Undyne has finally made her debut! Tibia honest I'm a little nervous about this one, it didn't quite flow as these chapters normally do, which is one of the reasons it came so late. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy, and as always, keep those reviews coming!


	6. Chapter 6: The Alley

A/N: Hiya! Before reading further I have to warn you, there IS violence in this chapter. If you are uncomfortable with such, I suggest you skip this chapter :)

I've been thinking about including an additional chapter after this story has ended listing some scrapped ideas, however I'm not sure if I will be or not, depending on a few factors. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this installment, and as always, keep those reviews coming!

P.S.

What noise does a skeleton donkey make?

It verteBRAYS

…sorry

* * *

After walking about a block Sans knew something was wrong. Ever since he said goodbye to Undyne and Alphys at the bus stop, there had been odd shuffling noises close behind him. As soon as he stopped, the noises would stop as well. _"this can't be good…"_ He began to quicken his pace, and sure enough, the sound of footsteps made themselves known. He began to run, but the steps only seemed to get closer. His soul pounded as he sprinted down the sidewalk, throwing one foot in front of the other as fast as he could. He rounded the corner into an alleyway, hoping to lose whoever of whatever was chasing him. However, mid-step his foot collided with an unknown debris. His face met the asphalt with a painful crunch. The meeting between ground and bone stung awfully, the bits of sharp pebbles biting at his face. The skeleton groaned and sat up, rubbing his smarting forehead, momentarily forgetting his situation. Within seconds, however he was immediately reminded when a sharp cackle pierced the brisk air.

"Well well WELL! What have we here guys?" Sans felt his magic run cold. He whipped his skull around, only to be met with the sneering face of Astigmatism, centimeters away from his own. The monster's rancid breath invaded his nasal cavity, bringing with it a surge of nausea. He leapt to his feet in terror, eye sockets widening in horror. He set his teeth. "w-what do you want? i did what you said. i s-stayed quiet." The little monster did his best to make a brave face, like his dad would do, but his tormentor simply hooted in laughter, obviously able too see through his façade. The unmistakable quivering in his voice did not help Sans appear brave in the slightest. He silently berated himself for allowing Astigmatism that pleasure. Astigmatism's single voice was immediately joined by others, their sources emerging from the shadows. Sans felt a cold sweat begin to form on his brow. There were five other monsters, each of varying sizes, however they all wore the same ruthless expression. They began to form a ring around him, effectively blocking any escape route. "You ask what I want?" Astigmatsim chuckled. "Isn't it obvious? I WANT you to be an example. Believe me I intended to do this earlier, but your little friend just HAD to SAVE the day." He gave a mock sigh and frowned. "See, you got me in trouble, and I can't let that slide with just a couple insults." The skeleton began to panic. He knew where this was going. "y-you had better leave me alone!" this was all he could think to say as the ring around him tightened. "i-i'm warning you!"

The edges of his tormentor's mouth drew up into a sadistic smile. "Nah, see, I've got a reputation to uphold, and I'm not gonna let some pathetic little skeleton see any mercy from me." He drew up his fingers and snapped, signaling his posse to tighten the ring around the now trembling monster. "Your dad's a scientist, right?" Without thinking, he nodded. He was proud of his father, no matter the situation. "Heh, good. Then what say you to an _experiment_?" His single eye gleamed. "Pyrope." The flaming monster nodded from the left of the ring. "Yeah boss?" "You're a second-grader, aren't you?" "Yeah." "What have the second graders been learning in math?" "Decimal points, boss." A low chuckle began to form in his chest. "What's your hypothesis, Pyrope? Do you think a monster's HP can reach a decimal point before hitting zero?" Pyrope's grin faltered. As much as bullying was fun, perhaps this was going a tad too far. "I-I dunno boss… but… are ya sure you wanna find out…?"

Astigmatism chuckled and snapped his fingers, initiating the fight. White magic attacks formed behind him, hovering menacingly.

"Positive."

The fight had begun. Oh god the fight had begun. The first attack whistled through the air at incredible speed. He jerked to one side, just in time to see the rings of magic sail within inches of his skull. The posse surrounding him leapt out of the way of the oncoming attack, diving for cover. He shivered, hearing it collide with the alley wall with a bang. _"okay sans, get a hold for yourself! think! How do you get out of here!?"_ His mind worked frantically as more attacks whirred through the air. He ducked, once again sending those behind him diving for cover. "You can't keep dodging forever, you little runt!" _"he's right… what do i do!"_ He called upon his magic, but it was to no avail. Something kept him from using it, but what!? Another barrage assaulted him from the right. He tried to evade, but to no avail. The magic ring whirred, grazing his arm. The wound burned intensely. He gasped, but did not allow himself to scream. No, he would not give this guy that satisfaction. He winced in pain, eyeing his HP bar. Every one did. The yellow bar quivered for a moment, seeming unsure of what to do. _"c'mon c'mon… don't let me die here…"_ The bar continued to hover, vacillating between the two great ultimatums of this world. Life and Death. The air was stagnant. There was no sound. All eyes focused on the bar, each mind behind the eyes thinking differently. _Oh god did he kill him? …How does one post bail for murder…?" "I don't want to be a murderer!"_ The thoughts behind the stern eye of Astigmatsim were unlike the others. In fact, they were hardly thoughts at all. Calculations mostly. _"Lets see… an attack at two percent capacity minus the def stat of 59 percent added to…"_

There was only one thought in the skeleton's mind.

 _"i don't want to die."_

The world was void of sound as the simple yellow bar decided it's holder's fate. It shook and trembled, and eventually, made a decision. Pyrope read the decision out loud, voice so tense it threatened to splinter in the terse air.

"….HP level… 0.6…"

It took a moment for the words to seep into the terrified mind of the skeleton. _"….0…. point….6…?"_ For an instant, the numbers meant nothing, losing all meaning as his mind struggled to comprehend what had just occurred. Suddenly, in a flash, their meaning burst into his mind like the first fireworks of a celebration, piercing the inky black sky of panic that had enveloped him. _"i….i'm alive…."_

He blinked, looking at the astounded faces around him that had only moments before shown nothing but malice. "i'm alive." He stated, the joy in his chest steadily building, "i'm alive!" He shouted, consumed by relief, but this only lasted a moment. _"….for now…"_ He immediately wiped the grin of relief off his face and stared at Astigmatism, once again desperately trying to summon his attacks. Again, it was to no avail. WHY!? He studied his tormentor's face with a practiced eye. In the art of observation, he was gifted. Even his father allowed him to observe the experiments conducted in the lab behind the house. Sometimes, his insights provided a new perspective even the great Dr. Gaster had not considered. He narrowed his eye sockets and stared. The muscles around Astigmatism's eye seemed relaxed. In fact, there was no tension at all, a sign that this newest development in the nature of HP bars was of no shock to the one-eyed monster. His smile curled slightly at the edges. It seemed smug. This observation was confirmed when his tormentor broke the silence. "What? Did you ACTUALLY think I was gonna kill ya? Puh-lease, I ain't goin' to jail cuz of some little punk." Sans's jaw worked, trying to make words, but this venture was without success. "I did the math, and adjusted the strength of my attack according to your pathetic defense stats. Let em' go guys, we'll play again tomorrow." Immediately and as one cohesive unit, the ring around the skeleton opened and dissipated. With a wink, Astigmatism turned and trudged out of the alley, lackeys in tow. "See ya tomorrow, runt!"


	7. Chapter 7: Memory Lane

Gaster uncomfortably sat in the booth at Grillbys. "Papyrus, please stop playing with your food…" Gaster groaned, doing his best to wipe off the limp spaghetti his youngest son was currently using as a wig. Papyrus cooed and giggled, squirming slightly as his father pressed a napkin to the corners of his mouth. Gaster smiled fondly. "Heh, you know Sans, I'm beginning to detect a pattern here. When you were around his age you seemed to like to wear food as clothing as well!" "…uh-huh…" Sans poked at his burger, only half-listening to his father's small talk. "If I remember correctly, your favorite attire was a ketchup neck-tie!" "…uh-huh…" Gaster smiled, reminiscing over a moment long-since past as Papyrus continued to squirm in his highchair.

* * *

It had been quite a long day, and Gaster had gotten home late from work. Lucida had greeted him warmly at the door. After he had gotten settled, they had sat down together on the couch, as they normally did, to discuss the day's events. "You go first, Luci," Gaster had encouraged, but he was quickly denied. "Nuh-uh, Gast, YOU go first. I wanna hear about those dark circles under your eye sockets…" Lucida had paused mid-sentence, a mischievous grin spreading across her face. Gaster knew what was coming next, that glint in her eye was all too familiar. "TIBIA honest with you Gasty, you look BONE tired, and I wouldn't FIBula. You should get a FEMUR hours of sleep." Gaster's reverberating groan was all the encouragement she needed. "Awe, c'mon Gasty! Of ULNA puns I make, you have to find some at least a little HUMERUS!" Gaster couldn't help but chuckle, despite himself. "There you go again, Luci, at this rate I wouldn't be surprised if you puns make me SPINE out of control!" This was met with a deadpan look from his wife. "C'mon Luci! You have to admit I'm improving!" She was only able to keep her expression serious for a few more seconds before she assumed her trademark grin once more, clinking her teeth against his cheek affectionately. "Yes, I suppose you're improving…"

Gaster beamed, returning the gesture before getting back on topic. "Alright, back to business, how was your day?" "Ohhhh no Gasty, you were gonna go first, remember?" The scientist sighed, surrendering. There was no way she was gonna drop that. "Well, let me see… There isn't much to say. Progress on the Core is slow going. It's still in development, and by now we should have already laid the physical foundation. Not to mention, the king has been breathing down my vertebrae all week about its lack of progress." "Sounds like it's a ROYAL pain in the butt!" Gaster chortled, nodding. "It sure is. Now, tell me about _your_ day." His wife smiled lightly. "Well… there was in incident with arts and crafts today. I swear there's always that _one_ kid who sees paste as some sort of fine cuisine." Her husband suppressed a laugh, and she continued. "There is also a new teacher coming in. Mrs. Drake I believe. She will be teaching kindergarten in the classroom next door to me…" Suddenly she shot up, eye sockets wide. "Oh no! I promised I'd help her set up the room tonight!" She raced to the coatrack and grabbed her parka. "I've gotta go, would you mind feeding Sans his dinner?" Before Gaster could respond she had run out the door, the tails of her red scarf billowing close behind her.

Sans sat in his highchair, babbling happily as he played with his little toy racecar. The highchair had been a gift from Lucida's students, and was decorated with only the brightest of yellows, reds, greens, and blues. To the unappreciative eye, the chair was horrendous, but to Lucida, it was the most beautiful thing in the world. _Thing_ , mind you, not monster, or better yet monsters, Gaster and Sans. Her husband in question gazed into the fridge, eyes searching the shelves for the baby food. His eyes finally rested on the small container, sitting on the shelf in the chilly rectangular machine. He pulled it out, popping open the lid in one fluid motion. Sliding the food into the microwave, he set the timer for fifteen seconds at fifty percent power. Once the timer went off, he stirred the food carefully, ensuring the absence of any hot spots. Then, he pulled up a chair and offered the food to his son on a small spoon. "Come on Sans, here comes the river-boat!" The infant gazed at the food for a moment, almost seeming to scrutinize it with a connoisseur like attitude. For a reason unknown to Gaster, the food did not live up to his baby's standards, and was promptly rejected. "Come now, open up, like this!" The skeleton opened his mouth, but this gained no momentum. Sans's mouth remained sealed.

It had been a good thirty minutes until Gaster had admitted defeat. It seemed stubbornness was a genetically inherited trait. He hated to admit it, but the collective stubbornness of both himself and his wife had manifested into one. This was a war he simply could not win. _"Come Gaster, think!"_ He gazed thoughtfully into the mush currently residing on the spoon. _"Could it be the taste…?"_ Well, there was only one way to prove that hypothesis, …unfortunately. The older skeleton visibly shivered as be brought the glob up to his face. He hesitated a moment before bringing the spoon into his mouth. He grimaced at the consistency, but overall the taste wasn't bad. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't good either.

"Pretty bland, huh Sans?" His son cooed in what he assumed to be agreement. Gaster mulled over his options. He could keep fighting a losing battle, or he could somehow find a way to improve the flavor. He stood, stretching a moment before making his way over to the spice cabinet. The hinges of the door squeaked in protest at being disturbed, but opened. His eyes scanned the shelves for something he could use. _"Paprika…? No, too much spice. Ginger? No… Basil? No, too much of an adult taste…"_ He sighed, closing the cabinet in defeat. None of the spices seemed to fit the bill. "I need some tea, help me think…" He made his way to the fridge where the iced tea was stored. Opening the door, he was greeted with the familiar cool breeze and smell of Freon. He looked to the top right, where the iced tea was kept, but in its place sat a bottle of ketchup. _"Ketchup…"_ Suddenly a light bulb went off in his mind. Ketchup, of course! It was sweet, just how kids like stuff, plus it went on everything. Or at least, it went on everything according to his wife. He made a grab for the condiment and set it down on the highchair tray in a flourish. "Alright Sans, its time for me to bring out my secret weapon!" The infant giggled at his father's silly antics, kicking his feet in excitement.

Turns out, an affinity for ketchup is also a genetically inherited trait. Dinner went on without any further complications. Gaster turned his back and washed the dishes, quite pleased with himself. Taking the now empty bowl of food, the soaked a sponge with frothy soap and began to scrub, whistling a tune all the while. Meanwhile, Sans had taken an interest in the ketchup bottle still placed on his high chair. With the clumsy coordination only to be had by a baby, he grasped the bottle with a tiny hand. Gazing at the white cap, he wrapped his fingers around the top and twisted with all the strength his little four-month-old body could muster.

Gaster turned just in time to see the fireworks. The vermillion condiment decorated the kitchen, himself, and his son, who looked very pleased with himself. "….Sans….." The giggling infant looked to his father with his mother's trademark grin. "Sans did you do this?" This wasn't really a question asked to be answered, however an answer was received when the infant's giggling turned into an outright laugh. _"…It would seem I have another Lucida on my hands."_

Cleanup began with the guilty party. Taking his handkerchief, Gaster dabbed at the corners of Sans's mouth until his face was just shy of spotless. "There, that should do i-" He cut off his sentence as his eyes trailed downward to the rest of his son. The condiment splattered down his shirt seemed to take the shape of a little necktie, adding a dapper look to the full suit of condiment that now adorned what used to be Sans's footie pajamas. The pajamas in question happened to be Lucida's favorite pair. "…Your mother is going to dust me…"

* * *

"hey, dad."

Gaster looked up, his walk down Memory Lane taking a hiatus.

"…how do you use magic…?"

* * *

A/N: Yo! As to avoid confusion, the reason our sweet little Papyrus is not in this particular flashback is because he has yet to be born. I usually picture the skelebros about two years apart (probably because that's how far apart my brother and I are…) Haha I dunno. Anyway last chapter was kinda dark, so I thought a little fluffy filler full of background and stuff would be good for troop morale. Also, those puns were _waaay_ more fun to write than they should have been… Well, see you guys in the next update and as always, keep those reviews coming!

What did the skeleton do to the ingredients when he baked a cake?

He sternum

…I think I have a problem…


	8. Chapter 8: A Chat

Sans fiddled with the hem of his jacket. Suddenly that thread hanging loosely from the seam was incredibly interesting.

"Magic...?" Gaster repeated, obviously caught off guard by the random subject change.

"u-um, yeah, i'd like to know how magic works," Sans asserted, trying his best not to look suspicious.

Gaster cocked his head slightly in a questioning manner. "You have never shown interest in magic before, Sans. Why do you wish to know now?"

Why did he want to know? So he could fight. He needed to prove to Astigmatism- no, _himself_ , that he wasn't just some pushover, infantile monster. Sans fidgeted uncomfortably. He couldn't just say he wanted to learn to fight. That would bring up way too many hard-to-answer questions. However, he also couldn't lie. There was no way he was going to lie to his father; he loved him way too much to do that. Besides, his dad was so smart and observant, he'd probably just see right through him. Therefore there was only one option; he would tell the truth, just not the _whole_ truth. That didn't count as lying, right?

"well, you work with magic all the time in your labs, and you research it constantly, right?"

Gaster nodded. "Correct."

"w-well, i wanna be a scientist when i grow up, so i can work with you. and if i'm gonna do that, i've gotta know about magic."

That last comment was more of a separate statement, and wasn't supposed to be the answer to his father's question. However, it could be interpreted as an answer. A simple misunderstanding between a separate statement and an answer wasn't a lie, just a convenient misinterpretation. That statement also certainly was not a lie.

It was Sans's dream to work alongside his world-famous father.

He would be able to help his dad do all sorts of research and experiments to help in the advancement monster-kind. Heck, maybe they could even destroy the barrier together. If the barrier was destroyed, not only would monsters be free of the painfully cramped confines of the Underground, but also there would be scientific opportunities presented he could never even come to imagine. His father had lived aboveground once, before the war. He often talked about the sky, and about the stars. Not just glowing rocks stuck to the ceiling, but real stars that glistened and twinkled, and even _moved_ in accordance with the seasons. More than anything, he wanted to see the stars. He even had his own telescope that his father had helped him build. But he was getting off topic. He looked to his father nervously, wondering how well that last statement had gone over with him.

Gaster was beaming. "Sans, I am so happy you are interested in the field of science! It is a very rewarding career to get into! Not only do you get to learn new things all the time, but you get paid to do so!"

Sans nodded enthusiastically.

His father's eye-sockets shone. "Think of the possibilities! Of course first you'll need to get a solid primary education. Although I must say school systems these days don't emphasize science nearly as much as they should perhaps I could provide after-school tutoring oh wouldn't that be fun we could learn about thermochemistry and do experiments and perhaps stoichiometry molar ratios are a must oh do you know Charle's Law we'll have to cover that too-"

"...um...dad...?"

Gaster looked up from his incoherent monologue. "Oh dear! I was rambling again. I'm so sorry Sans, you know how I get when science is involved. I was just so excited to hear about your goals..."

Sans grinned. "oh no dad, it's fine! i'm so glad you're happy that i've got my _ion_ science!"

Gaster blinked, staring at his son a moment. It took a minute, but as Lucida's mischievous grin grew wider and wider on his child's face, the pun finally sunk in.

"...Anyway, what do you want to know about magic?"

His son snorted indignantly. "awe c'mon dad! that one was funny! you have to admit i'm improving!"

The older skeleton allowed himself a tiny smile, his white pupils flickering happily in the familiarity of the situation. "Yes, I suppose you _are_ improving..."

Sans gave a self-satisfied grin before getting back on topic. "well, what i'd like to know most about magic is really how to use it. i've tried before, but it just didn't work." He frowned slightly, remembering the day's incident. He had tried with all of his might to summon magic. Something, anything he could use to defend himself. But nothing happened.

His father stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Well... it's rather complicated. Are you sure you want to know?"

The question was answered by a determined nod from the younger skeleton.

Gaster smiled, setting down his fork. "Alright then, first I will begin with the basics. A monster's magic is connected directly with their soul."

Sans nodded. He knew that.

"Well, I've put some research into the matter, and I have found that a monster's soul is more, how to put this, _active_ than usual when the monster is doing something that they are meant to do. Not just meant to do, but rather, _born_ to do. Let's call this their "calling." Every monster has a calling, and if they are lucky, they get a career that coincides with their calling. For me, my calling is to learn new things and to help monsters with my discoveries. That is my purpose in life, my calling. Whenever I learn something new or help a monster with my research, my purpose is fulfilled and my soul grows more active than usual. Some feel an acute sense of joy, or feel overwhelmingly satisfied. When a soul is satisfied after fulfilling its purpose it grows active. Consequently, the magic that the soul linked to grows active as well. Therefore, it becomes more powerful than a simple life-sustaining force, and can be utilized in a variety of ways. For example, while I'm working on my research, my power increases tenfold, and I put it to work by using the energy to fuel my experiments."

Sans cocked his head. "can you only use it when your soul is "fulfilled?"

His father shook his head. "Not necessarily, however it is very difficult to do so without the sense of fulfillment. Generally, monsters need some sort of special training to be able to use magic without it. That is what makes the Royal Guard so special. They can access their magic at anytime. Although, many of their callings coincide with their jobs, so their magic is nearly tripled when combined with their training."

Sans nodded thoughtfully, mulling this new information over. "...hey, dad... what's _my_ calling?"

His father smiled lightly, his eyes kind. "Well, that is something every monster must figure out on their own.

Later that night, Sans sat on his bed. His light blue sheets and comforter were rolled up in a wrinkled mess at the end of the mattress. Even though he made his bed every night before he went to sleep, the blankets always ended up in a tangled heap in the morning. According to his father he tossed and turned a lot in his sleep, but he himself wouldn't know. He was asleep after all. However his mind was not focused on his nightly ritual of untangling the heap of blankets. Instead, Sans sat on the bare mattress, legs hanging off the side of the bed, racking his brain for his "purpose."

 _"could my purpose be science, like dad? nah, i've never felt anything like how he described when helping him..."_

After about an hour of intense brainstorming the frustrated skeleton fell onto his bed with an exasperated grunt. _"c'mon sans! you've gotta figure this out by tomorrow!"_

He tried again to think, but his mind was exhausted and refused to work anymore.

"c'mon! stupid brain!" He grunted, rapping his knuckles against his cranium. That accomplished nothing except giving himself a headache.

"i'm never gonna figure this out..."

Suddenly there came a gentle knock on his bedroom door. Sans sighed, doing his best to look less exasperated before answering. "Come in." The wooden door opened with a small creak as Gaster trod lightly into the room.

"Alright Sans, it is time for bed! Have you brushed you teeth yet?"

The smaller skeleton nodded silently, keeping his eyes down.

Gaster furrowed his brow. Being the astute monster he was, he could tell something was on his son's mind. After a moment, he had an idea of how to cheer his son up. "Sans, would you mind fetching Papyrus from his crib for storytime?"

His son nodded slowly and got up, sauntering down the hall. The wooden floorboards creaked in protest as he shuffled his feet, head down. He opened the door at the end of the hall, and was greeted by the delighted coos of his little brother. Papyrus giggled happily and squirmed, clumsily making his way to the bars of the crib. The elder could not help but smile at his brother, despite the frustration he had felt moments before. Man, Papyrus was so cool.

"heya paps, you ready for storytime?" The infant kicked gleefully, throwing his little fists in the air in a joyous dance. Sans's smile widened as he watched his brother's happy display. "heh, i'll take that as a "yes."

The six-year old undid the latch and lowered the gate with a click, scooping up the fidgeting infant and cradling him close to his sternum. For some reason, having Papyrus with him made him feel a million times better already. He made his way back to his bedroom and plopped Papyrus down on the mattress.

"Sans," Gaster said in an encouraging tone, "why don't you pick out tonight's story?"

His eldest son nodded and looked to the bookshelf. There were so many stories to choose from. Every book was adorned with a colorful binding, aimed to catch the attention of a reader doing exactly what Sans was doing: browsing. Each of them seemed to scream, "pick me!" as their titles and colors battled for notice. In the end, however, Sans chose none of the titles that had duked it out to catch his eye. Instead, he reached to the back of the shelf and pulled out a small, thin book. It's binding was threadbare, as if the slightest provocation would be enough to cause it to disintegrate, releasing its ancient pages into disarray. The cover, at one time, had been a splendid rose color, however now it appeared more greyish than pink. Sans picked it up carefully, travelling back to the bed with his ancient treasure. He grinned, handing it to Gaster, who smiled and received it.

"My goodness Sans, you choose this one every night." he chuckled.

His son smiled sheepishly. "...yeah, well, its my favorite."

The two skeleton siblings curled up close to their father as Gaster cleared his throat. "*Ahem,* Peekaboo with Fluffy Bunny..."

"...And so, Fluffy Bunny and all of his friends lived happily ever after. The end." Gaster closed the book and looked down fondly at Papyrus, who was sound asleep.

"...heh... that ending gets me every time." Sans grinned, eyesockets drooping sleepily. "happily ever after is just such a nice way to end a story."

His father nodded. "Yes indeed. "Ever After" gives a certain finality to the fact that the happiness present at the end of the story does not dwindle."

Sans yawned and untangled his sheets. Well, he tried to, anyway. Halfway through he was face down on the heap of blankets, snoring. Gaster took up the rest of the job, pulling the sheets and comforter up over his son. "I have been meaning to ask all night, Sans. Did you enjoy your first day of school?"

Sans smiled sleepily. "it was awesome."

He wondered to himself why he felt the way he did. He had been teased, bullied, and scared half to death. However despite the incidents that had befallen him, the day was still awesome. Why was that? It took a little bit, but he figured it out. A story always has hardship. There is always a trial one has to face. If there wasn't a struggle, there wouldn't be a story. And besides, now he had friends. Real friends who could help him overcome any obstacle. Sans smiled softly to himself. _"just you wait, astigmatism. this story is gonna end in "happily ever after."_

* * *

A/N: Yo! So I finished this chapter yesterday but I couldn't post it because the internet was down. The kitchen is being remodeled and I've had nothing to eat but takeout for the past two weeks. Hahaha...ha...ha...ha

Anyways I made some adjustments to the formatting as per suggestion. Thank you very much for pointing it out! Thank you to all you lovely readers out there who seem to (surprisingly) enjoy the words I string together to create sentences. I hope you all like the chapter, and as always, keep those reviews coming!

What do you call a grumpy skeleton?

 _Skull_ en.

:D


	9. Chapter 9: Insights and Worries

The next morning Sans made his way over to his desk in a slump. Pulling out his chair, he plopped himself into his seat with a defeated sigh, resting his head against the desktop. Any determined feelings he had harbored the previous night were completely shattered. He had been convinced that after a good night's sleep, he would be have been able to come up with his calling with a refreshed mind. No such luck, though. If anything, his mind was even more exhausted than it had been going to bed. _"...dang it... i've gotta figure this out by three o'clock or..."_

"H-Hey Sans!"

Startled, the skeleton snapped his head up off the desktop and whirled toward the noise. He looked around feverishly, fearing it to belong to a certain one-eyed monster. Instead his eyes met a familiar yellow monster, who seemed to have come out of nowhere.

"o-oh, h-hi alphys."

Alphys cocked her head, glasses slipping slightly on the bridge of her snout. "...Hey..." She raised an eyebrow, looking at him apprehensively. "Are you okay Sans? You seem... w-well... jumpy."

"j-jumpy? who's jumpy? i'm not jumpy if that's what you're thinking!" Sans began to sweat nervously. He didn't care so much about keeping yesterday's incident a secret because he was told to; he cared more about keeping the thing under wraps because he didn't want Alphys to get involved, and possibly hurt. At the moment she knew nothing about all of this, but if she did there was no way she was just gonna let sleeping doggos lie. She'd probably try to stand up to Astigmatism, and the last thing she needed was to get picked on by that jerk. No, she would stay in the dark, and consequentially, stay safe and happy.

"W-Well I AM thinking that you're jumpy, Sans." Alphys huffed, "I s-saw you walk into school today, shoulders all slumped and head drooping. You were acting odd during recess y-yesterday as well. What's wrong? C'mon y-you can tell me, can'tcha?"

In response Sans immediately corrected his droopy posture, back snapping straight and shoulders thrown back. He cleared his throat and forced the quivering in his voice down. "i don't know what you mean! i'm not droopy, see?"

This display only furthered his friend's concern. "See, that's what I'm talking about! You did that yesterday too! You seemed really upset, but when I asked you about it you smiled like nothing happened! Like you weren't even sad to begin with!"

"uh...well..." The skeleton averted his gaze from his friend. He didn't want to lie any further, but...

Suddenly Mrs. Drake's voice burst through the classroom, interrupting his thoughts.

"Alright class! Everyone please take your seats so we can begin class!" She sang in her sing-song voice. Alphys groaned and gave her friend one last searching look before making her way to her seat, dress swishing slightly as she turned, as if in annoyance. Sans sighed in relief, silently thanking his teacher for the welcome interruption.

"Today we will be doing some finger-painting!" Mrs. Drake announced. The class cheered. "But first we have English, Math, Science, and History! Hooray!" The class groaned.

Ordinarily, Alphys would have been quite excited by the day's academic schedule, but at the moment her worry for her new skeleton friend occupied any space in her mind that would have accommodated excitement. 'What could be bothering him so much?' she wondered, lightly tapping her pencil against the desktop. 'Was it something I said yesterday...? Maybe he got upset when Icecap had him wait by himself. That's when he started acting funny...' She shook her head. 'No, that's not it. He seems like ordinarily he would be a pretty happy guy, so something like being alone for two minutes wouldn't bring him down so hard; especially not so hard that it would carry on to the next day.' She huffed in frustration. 'I wish he would just tell me what's bothering him. I hate to see him all gloomy. I've gotta think of a way to get him to open up, or at least cheer him up...' She scrunched her face and thought hard. Usually if she needed an idea she would stand on her head. If she did, all of her magic energy would rush to her brain and she would be able to think better; or at least that's what her dad had told her. To most monsters it was a weird concept, but to her it made sense. Unfortunately, she couldn't do that in the middle of Mrs. Drake's lecture on the proper use of punctuation. She felt her leg begin to bounce up and down, an annoying habit she had been trying to break. '...I can't think of this on my own...' she thought, pushing her leg down to get it to stop its antics. She adjusted her glasses, which had begun to slip down her snout, and looked around the classroom, spotting Undyne sitting in her seat, aggressively taking notes on the lecture. '...maybe Undyne will have some insight...'

After the lecture Mrs. Drake passed out a worksheet. "Okay class, please fill this out like how I showed you in the lesson. If anyone needs help, raise your hand and I will be more than happy to come over.' she said, smiling. "Lunch will be after this, so if anybody wants some extra help, come over to my desk!"

Alphys filled out her worksheet with minimal difficulty, setting down her pencil with a soft click. Suddenly she felt a sharp breath hit the back of her neck.

"Psst!"

She turned, slightly startled. The boy who sat behind her smirked. "Hey, you got the answer to number thirteen?"

She nodded. "Y-Yeah, why?"

The kid shrugged. "Mind if I take a peek? English isn't really my cup of tea. I prefer math, to be honest.

Alphys frowned, shaking her head. "I-I don't really think that's a good idea. If you have a question, y-you should probably ask Mrs. Drake."  
"Eh, I don't particularly feel like it. By the way, no hard feelings about the swingset incident the other day, right?"

The yellow monster smiled and shook her head. "No, I know it was an accident, you didn't mean anything."

"Heh, right. So you mind if I-"

"Excuse me you two," interrupted Mrs. Drake in a stern voice, "please turn around and pay attention."

"S-Sorry Mrs. Drake!" Alphys squeaked, turning back to her worksheet.  
Mrs. Drake frowned. "You too, Astigmatism.

"Yes, Mrs. Drake."

It was 11:30. Lunchtime. Alphys grinned, sliding her completed paper into her desk. Now was the time to get to the bottom of all of this. Grabbing her lunch box, she turned, looking to where her skeleton friend sat not ten feet away. Sans turned, meeting her eyes with his for a fraction of a second before standing stiffly, purposefully meandering toward Mrs. Drake's tall oak desk. She frowned, listening carefully as he addressed the teacher.

"excuse me, mrs. drake. could i please have some help on this question?"

Mrs. Drake blinked, surprised. "Of course Sans, but... well, you got that question right."

Alphys watched suspiciously as Mrs. Drake took the worksheet into her wing and studied it with a practiced eye. "You got all of these questions right, Sans."

"yeah, but i'd still like some help, if that's okay with you. it might take all lunch, though."

"W-Well, of course it's okay with me! Alright, sit down. I'll go through them with you."

At this the skeleton's grin brightened, and he walked briskly to his desk to grab his lunch. Sitting next to her, he pointed to a question. "could we start on question one?"

Alphys groaned, sitting back down and taking out her cup of instant noodles from her lunch box. 'Need help my butt. So I can't talk to you at lunch huh? Something tells me you're gonna pull the same trick at recess. That's fine, I can wait.' She gave a frustrated sight and tore the paper top off the Styrofoam cup. She has about to open her thermos of water when suddenly a pair of webbed hands came down onto her shoulders.

"I heard the sounds of frustration!"  
"GAH!" Alphys squeaked, startled half to death.

"Whoops! Sorry, didn't mean to scare ya!" Undyne's voice boomed.

"O-Oh! Undyne! N-No, it's fine!" She scooted over, allowing her blue friend a place to sit. The fish monster obliged, plopping down a paper sack onto the table and taking a seat next to her.

"So, spill."

"S-Spill? Spill what?"  
"What's botherin ya, Al? You look more steamed than that dummy that just made its home in front of my house."

"W-Well..." Alphys stammered, trying to put her concerns into words, "it's Sans."

"Sans?" Alphys repeated, mouth full of Crabapple, "What's up with Sans?"

Alphys thought a moment before answering. "He seems upset. He's been acting strangely."

The fish monster cocked an eyebrow. "Strangely? Al, you've known him about a day now. Are you sure the way he's acting isn't just the way he normally does?"

Al nodded firmly. "I'm sure. He's a happy-go-lucky kind of boy. I can tell."

Undyne nodded. "Well, if you're positive, then okay. What do you mean he's acting strangely though? That's kinda vague."

"W-Well, he seems like he's really upset, really sad."  
"Sad?" Undyne turned to look at the skeleton. He was sitting at the teacher's desk, beaming like he always did. "Mmm... I think your interpretation of sad might be a little off, Al. No offense."  
"N-No! That's the weird part!" she protested, "He seems happy now, but every once in awhile I catch him with a sad look on his face. When I tried to talk to him this morning, he nearly jumped out of his chair."

"Maybe ya startled him. I mean, you nearly jumped ten feet in the air a second ago when I said hi."

Alphys shook her head. "No, that's what I thought at first. But when I saw his expression, he seemed... well... scared. Not just scared though, terrified."

Undyne stopped chewing.

"B-But... as soon as he saw it was me, he seemed almost... relieved? But then he started smiling again. Something similar happened yesterday as well. I came up to him on the playground after Snowcap introduced us. When I approached him, he was crying. I didn't even know skeletons _could_ cry. When I asked him what was wrong, he did the same thing: grinned and looked at me like nothing had happened."

Alphys paused, looking forlornly into her cup of processed noodles. "...I'm worried about him, Undyne."

A webbed hand gently placed itself on her shoulder. "Hey, c'mon Al, buck up. Don't be sad. If what you said is true, then I'll help ya get to the bottom of this."

Alphys looked into her friend's eyes and sniffed. "R-Really?"  
"You'd better believe it, nerd!" Undyne flashed a toothy smile, pulling her friend into an affectionate noogie. "No friend of mine is gonna suffer in silence! Tell ya what, let's walk home with him after school. It'll give us time to pick his brain. Neither you nor I will take "no" for an answer!"

Alphys grinned, eyes shining. "Y-Yeah! Operation "Help Sans" is officially a go!"

Undyne laughed heartily. "Yeah! But we're gonna have to come up with a cooler name than that!"

Al puffed her cheeks in indignation. "I thought it was a good name!"

* * *

A/N:

Yo guys! I want to apologize for how long this chapter took. Originally I thought I was gonna get it out in, like, a few days, but life had other plans. Between prep courses, regular classes, homework, and family stuff, I've been swamped. Heh, that research paper _really_ didn't help things. Anyway, I'm super sorry for the wait. What do you guys think would be a good operation name? Share your thoughts in the reviews below. Heh, cute little insightful Alphys, she can read people like a book. Thank you for reading, and as always, keep those reviews coming!

How does a skeleton get to work when gas prices got too high?

He metacarpools!


	10. Chapter 10: A Missed Stop

Alphys had been correct in her hypothesis. As soon as the recess bell had rung, Sans had bolted to the teacher's desk yet again, asking for 'clarification' on his math worksheet. Of course, being a teacher, Mrs. Drake had been more than willing to help him out. It wasn't until after class were Alphys and Undyne able to set their operation into motion.

Sans sighed, sliding his notebook into his bag as slowly as possible. The metal rings which binded the notes together caught slightly on the zipper, causing him to have to tug at it. Well, at least that bought more time. Alphys and Undyne had been eyeing him all day, and he knew he had an interrogation in store for him. 'shoot...here they come...' He looked anxiously to the teacher's desk, but Mrs. Drake had already left for the teacher's lounge. That empty chair symbolized his inability to escape what he knew was inevitable.

"Hey, Sans!" Undyne boomed, "Come over here!"

Sans felt himself flinch as the moment he had been dreading descended swiftly upon him. 'how can i play this off? chances are, alphys has already relayed her suspicions to undyne...' He silently cursed his luck as he made his way over to his doom. 'there's no way they're gonna let me off the hook now... especially not after avoiding them all day...' He sighed, and came to a halt in front of his blue-scaled friend, placing his hands inside his pockets to keep from fidgeting. He met her eyes hesitantly, plastering on the biggest smile he could muster. "heya undyne, what's up?"

The fish monster beamed. "Oh, nothing much, skele-bone, just waiting for Al to finish packing up." She gestured to her right, where Alphys was still gathering a mountain of papers into her bag. Undyne sighed, resting a hand on her hip lazily. She mentally reminded herself of what Alphys had said during lunch: _"Please be subtle, Undyne, if we come on too strong, he'll just be more on guard."_ "So, how'ya been, skell?"

"oh, uh, fine, thanks," Sans lied. He hated lying. He hated the way the words felt as they rolled off his tongue and hung in the air, mocking him. 'gosh i dont want to be here...'

Undyne smiled. "Good ta hear. To be honest, I've been a little stressed myself, what with all this new curriculum. Have you been stressed at all?"

Sans shook his head. "um, no, not really..."

"Heh, that's good." Undyne flashed her white teeth in a good-natured grin before looking to Alphys. "Oh, here she comes. C'mon Al! We can't wait all day!"

"S-Sorry!" Alphys stammered, hurrying over to the two. "I couldn't find my punctuation worksheet. I could've sworn I left it in my desk..."

"i'll help you find it tomorrow, alphys." Sans offered.

"R-Really? That'd be great, Sans!"

"y-yeah, no problem, i'm sure its around here somewhere. you know, its good to have a binder for times like these, my dad always said its important to..." Sans continued on his tangent, hoping to ward the subject away from the inevitable investigation from the two girls. This tangent was maintained for the entirety of the walk, all the way to the bus stop. This was a good mission accomplished on Sans's part. Neither Alphys nor Undyne were able to get a word in edgewise, although they tried.

"That's really interesting." Undyne huffed, "But you know, Sans, I'd like to-"

"if you think _that's_ interesting wait until i tell you about..."

This was the recurring pattern the conversation took until the three had made their way to the street, where the florescent yellow school bus waited, its engine purring eagerly to get back onto the road. Sans skidded to a halt and turned to face his friends. He had managed to keep that huge grin fixed firmly on his face the entire walk, and his cheeks stung from the effort. It was a relief to know that this 'chat' was over. "oh? we're here already? wow time sure does fly by! well guys, i had a great time with you today oh well ill see you tomorrow bye!" He quickly turned on his heel and began to race-walk away, alone. Only, to his surprise, he wasn't alone at all. There was Alphys on his right, her white dress billowing softly behind her in the brisk breeze. There was Undyne to his left, her blue scales shining in the bright afternoon sun. Sans blinked in surprise. They certainly weren't illusions. "um... hey guys... the bus stop is back _there_."

"We know," Alphys hummed, "we're walking you home today!"

Sans stopped in his tracks, soul frozen in sudden horror. "w...walk...me...home...?"

"You better believe it!" Undyne cheered, pumping her fist into the air.

The skeleton felt a cold sweat begin to appear on his brow. This was far from good. "heheh! real funny guys! c'mon, you live so far away! don't want to be late, or your folks might get worried about ya! you, uh, had ' _bus_ '-t be getting back to the stop, you don't want to miss your ride!"

"That's the great part!" Undyne laughed, "We managed to convince the River Woman to give us a ride after we walked you home!"

Sans could feel his pulse begin to quicken. His mind flashed to where, not two blocks ahead, Astigmatism was no doubt lurking in the shadows of the alley. No, they couldn't walk home with him. Absolutely _not_.

"heh, okay guys, joke's over. you got me! now c'mon, i'll walk ya back to the bus stop. if we hurry we can still catch it!"

"No joke!" Alphys smiled, "we're walking with you and that's that!"  
"Yeah!" said Undyne, chucking the trembling skeleton's arm affectionately, "And we ain't taking "no" for an answer!"

Sans's mind worked frantically, desperately trying to come up with alternate routes around the alley that he may not have thought of before. However, the fact remained that there weren't any. He couldn't think of any while he was level-headed, much less while the icy tendrils of fear were coiling around his soul.

"...you'll have to take it." Sans whispered.

Undyne cocked her head, her fiery hair falling to one side of her shoulder. "What was that, Sans? I didn't hear."

The skeleton looked up to meet her face. "you'll have to take "no" for an answer, because that's the o-only answer i'm gonna give." he stated, voice quivering slightly.

The fish monster smirked. "What makes you think we're gonna do that?"

Sans was getting more agitated with every passing second. "n-no guys. y-you can't come with me. i w-won't a-allow it."

"Sans..." Alphys said softly, "...you know why we're here, you're smart. We're concerned about you. Please, we just want to know what's wrong."

Sans bowed his head. The alley flashed in his mind, hovering over his consciousness like a looming gray fog. What should he do? If he told the truth, they would come with him, no doubt about it. Then what? Astigmatism would hurt them as well... But, if he continued to stay quiet, they might be hurt emotionally, and maybe even think that he didn't like them. But, that couldn't be farther from the truth... He hadn't even known them a week, and yet the thought of either of them getting injured, emotionally or physically, was more than he could ever hope to bear. It felt as if they had been friends for an eternity. Logically, he knew that this attachment was foolish. It was impossible to care so deeply for people after knowing them for only a short period of time. And yet...his soul knew what it knew, and felt what it felt, and threw logic to the wind. In this situation, there were only two options. Confess or don't. Either way, _he_ was the one responsible for hurting them.

"...you...y-you will _not_ come with me." His shoulders began to shake. Suddenly his eye-sockets began to sting with tears. He cursed himself as he felt them slide down his cheekbones and make contact with the still, frozen air. There was no way out. No way to keep them safe. He kept his gaze down, tears falling onto the snowy pavement silently. Suddenly and without warning, he felt himself pulled into a warm, tight embrace.

He looked up to see Alphys, with tears in her eyes.

"Sans..." she whispered, "please...tell us what's wrong."

He felt a webbed hand on his shoulder. "Please, Sans," Undyne said, softly, "We want to help you."

Looking into both of their eyes, Sans felt himself shrink under their gaze. Their eyes, they were so caring, so firm, so relentless, so... determined. Why did they care for him so much? Here he was. He had lied to both of them, had avoided them, and yet here _they_ were, with a warm look in their eyes he could never fully describe. What had he done to deserve them? Nothing. How could he face their eyes now? There was but one way that perhaps, just perhaps, he might begin to repay them. The truth,and the truth alone.

'i...i'm sorry..." he whispered, "i'm so sorry..."

* * *

A/N:

What do you call a skeleton who cuts down trees for a living?

A Lumbar-Jack!


	11. Chapter 11: Things Go Wrong

"...So, THAT'S what this has all been about," Alphys muttered grimly. "I- I appreciate you wanting to protect us, b-but-"

"BUT unfortunately for Astigmatism, he messed with a skeleton with dangerous friends," Undyne grinned, her sharp teeth glistening in the sunlight.  
Sans was about to protest, but Alphys shushed him with a scaly hand to his mouth. "We won't let this g-go on any longer, Sans. N-No matter what you try and say otherwise."  
Sans looked up at his friends, and he knew that Alphys was right. The determination in their eyes was too strong to be swayed by words.

"So now that it's all out in the open, w-we can go get a teacher!" Alphys smiled.  
"A teacher?" Undyne scoffed. "A teacher can't fix this. Oh? He's gonna get a detention? Awww boo hoo. That kid LITERALLY ALMOST KILLED HIM. Anything a teacher can dish out is a punishment unfitting of the crime."  
"B-But Undyne-"  
"No buts. I don't know about you, Alphys, but I want to give Astigmatism a piece of my own mind, not the mind of the idiotic administration."  
"...I-I guess," Alphys muttered, not entirely convinced. And yet she found herself more inclined to believe what the fish monster said. Maybe it was something about her voice. So strong and confident and-  
"i still don't think this is such a good idea," Sans interjected. "astigmatism has a bunch of friends and-"  
"All the more heads to bash in. C'mon Sans, lead the way."  
"..." Sans nodded, and slowly started walking back down the sidewalk, closer and closer to where his tormentor lay in hiding. With every step his soul seemed to grow heavier, as if his very being were trying to warn him away from the impending altercation. But by the time he managed to stop his feet, it was too late. There was the alley.

Undyne saw it too. With a war whoop, there she went, racing into the alley. "Hey Astigmatism. I've got some choice FISTS for you!"

Both skeleton and lizard had a very bad feeling about what would happen if they left Undyne alone in that alley, and the two ran in behind her.

"...I'm sorry, what was it you said?" a lilting, eerie voice whispered from the shadows of the alley.

"I SAID I have some choice FISTS for you!"  
"I think you mean choice _words_ ~"  
"Nah I mean fists. Come out and face me like a man, you-"  
But Undyne didn't have time to finish her sentence as a ring was sent screaming through the air towards her head. She dodged, barely. But that was the end of her ponytail, and the bundle of fire red hair sank to the ground.  
This was a bad idea, and Sans knew it. "undyne let's just go!" he begged, but just as his words left his tongue, he felt something warm against the back of his neck. It reeked, and he knew immediately what it was. Astigmatism's breath.

"Well well well, the skeleton brought some friends!" the voice behind him sneered.  
Sans whirled around, coming face to face with the one eyed demon. "w-we were just going-" he grimaced, backing up a few steps.  
"Oh WERE you now?" the fiend chuckled, his posse slowly materializing from the surrounding shadows. "See, I know you WERE just going… but that's past tense you're talking in. What, pray tell me, ARE you doing? Certainly not escaping," he grinned, his friends now forming a ring around the three.  
Undyne, with a roar, formed her spear and thrust it at the closest one. But her single attack was met with dozens. One after another, unendingly, her body was hit in a barrage of attacks. White hot pain flashed through her with each one. There was too much, too many. Her health, she could see it. It was getting dangerously low, and fast. The bar was the last thing she saw until her vision faded to black.  
Alphys could see it, too. "ST-STOP!" she shrieked. "STOP IT YOU'RE HURTING HER!"  
"Shut up, you nerd," Astigmatism growled.  
"NO I WON'T SHUT UP. N-NO I WON'T. STOP IT LEAVE HER ALONE!" And with that, she too charged at the circumference of the ring. She too was hit with fire from all sides, and Sans could only watch in horror as she fell, her health bar even lower than Undyne's.  
"See what happens when you bring your friends into this, Sans~?" Astigmatism smiled, his voice as cold as death. "See what happens? People get hurt, Sans. People who didn't need to get hurt, get hurt." He let out a fit of laughter that left Sans doubting the monster's sanity.  
The skeleton rushed to his friends' sides, finding the both of them unconscious. "y-you- you didn't have to go this far-" Sans said quietly, tears threatening to spill at the sight of his friends, battered and beaten.

"You're right! I didn't'. But it's sooo much fun!" Astigmatism cackled. "Now then, what say we have even MORE fun?"

"Uh… boss, are you sure that's a good idea?" one of his lackeys interjected. "I mean, one more hit and we might accidentally du-"

"Shut UP," Astigmatism commanded, and the lackey fell silent. "Now then, Sans. I do believe you're in quite the sticky situation, wouldn't you agree?"  
The terrified skeleton had no choice but to nod.  
"Would you like to get OUT of this sticky situation?"  
The skeleton nodded again, terror shaking his entire frame.  
"I think I can give you a way out," the one eyed monster smiled devilishly. "All I need you to do is send one attack your friends' way. Can you do that for me?"  
Sans's soul went cold. "...what… what do you mean?"  
"Any old attack will do. Once it's done, I'll let you go. Walk home in peace, no trouble at recess. Heck! I'll let you use the drinking fountain. All you have to do is make. One. Attack. What do you say? I'm being _very_ generous here."  
What does he say? What COULD he say? There was no way. His friends has rushed headlong into danger for him, putting his happiness above their own safety. How could he, now, turn an attack in their direction? How could he turn his back on them, just to save his own bones? How could he, their friend, hurt them just so he wouldn't be? Besides... it's not like he could use magic anyway. Even if he wanted to.

"...i say no."  
" _No_ ~?"  
"no."  
"WELL then. I tried to be generous, didn't I, boys?"  
The occupants of the ring nodded their heads, somewhat nervously.  
Astigmatism formed an attack. A ring, but unlike any of the rings Sans had seen before. It was huge, and brighter than the sun that dared not venture into that cold alley. There was no way Astigmatism had calculated this. This was raw energy, unabated power that, deep in his soul, Sans knew would be fatal not only to himself, but the two that lay unconscious behind him.

Astigmatism laughed.

Sans stood, shielding his friends.

The ring was thrown.

Everything went black.

* * *

A/N:

"Are you dead?" the readers asked.  
"NEARLY!" the author replied.

Guess who's BACK! THIS GAL! Thought you'd never see this thing get updated again, did ya?  
...Neither did I.

How long has it been A year? Two years? Oof sorry about that. I've been working my butt off trying to get into college. And I mean working my butt off. I have no butt left! But yeah, now that I've secured a place in an institution of higher learning, I now have both the energy and motivation to finally bring this thing to a close. To all yall lovely readers that stuck with me all this time, I thank you.

Am I out of bone puns? Nope! I've got a skele-ton of them!


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